asked the President if he will state the number of transferred Civil Servants who have retired (a) under the statutory conditions of retirement; (b) under "permissive" retirement conditions; and also the respective amounts of compensations; and if, in view of the fact that applications for retirement continue to be made, and in order to remove the widespread apprehensions of Civil Servants as to their conditions of service, he will consider the advisability of setting up without delay an adequate Joint Council for the Civil Service.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - RETIRED CIVIL SERVANTS.
Up to the 30th of June, 1924, 864 Civil Servants retired in consequence of the change of Government, involving a total lump-sum payment amounting to £208,870, and an annual pension charge of £124,666 at the cost-of-living figure applicable at that date.
There have been four cases of retire-with "special permission" terms involving a total lump-sum payment of £1,397, and an annual pension charge of £2,041 as on 30th June last.
No change has been made in the conditions of service of any Civil Servant transferred at the change of Government, and there is, therefore, no ground for the suggestion that the retirements under Article 10 of the Treaty proceed by reference to altered conditions of service.
I may add that the question of setting up machinery for consulting with the staff and obtaining its views on service matters has been under discussion between the Minister for Finance and representatives of the staffs, and it is hoped at an early date to create suitable machinery for the purpose.
Arising out of the last part of the answer, is the President aware that last March a decision was promised on this matter within two or three weeks, and that the "early date" seems perpetually getting further away?
I am in possession of that information. Many things have occurred since March last within the knowledge of the Deputy, I think.
Even the passage of time.